The Critical Lands and Waters Identification Project (CLIP) is a collection of spatial data that identify statewide priorities for a broad range of natural resources in Florida. CLIP has been developed through a collaborative effort between the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), the University of Florida GeoPlan Center and Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The CLIP partners have relied upon a team of expert advisors from state and federal agencies, water management districts, NGOs, and the private sector, to provide consensus guidance on data compilation and model construction. CLIP 3.0 is organized into a set of core natural resource data layers which are combined into five resource categories: biodiversity, landscapes, surface water, groundwater, and marine. The first three categories have also been combined into the Aggregated CLIP model, which identifies five priority levels for natural resource conservation. (Oetting et al 2014)

The Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment is a geographic analysis of the distribution of certain natural resources and resource-based land uses that have been identified by the Florida Forever Advisory Council and Florida Legislature as needing increased conservation attention. The FFCNA consists of a series of statewide models of natural resource priorities. The data layers included in the FFCNA correspond to 14 performance measures or criteria approved by the Legislature for the Florida Forever program. These fourteen measures were selected for the FFCNA because they are resource-based criteria that can be used to set acquisition priorities.

The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) identifies the opportunities to protect large, intact landscapes important for conserving Florida’s biodiversity and ecosystem services, and serves as a backbone for biodiversity and ecosystem protection efforts in Florida. An important goal of the FEGN is to protect a functionally connected network of public and private conservation lands from the tip of south Florida to the tip of the Florida panhandle while also potentially providing functional connectivity to conservation lands in Georgia and Alabama.

The goal of this project is to identify the minimum amount of land needed in Florida to ensure the long-term survival of key components to Florida’s biological diversity. This project is a reanalysis of Closing the Gaps using a new suite of species, updated and more recent data sets, and improved analytical techniques, including spatially explicit population-viability analyses. Significant changes to Florida’s ecosystems have occurred subsequent to the original analysis. For effective land management and planning to continue, we must reassess the level of protection that Florida’s managed lands provide our biological resources. This project will determine what components of Florida’s biological diversity have been secured since 1994, what opportunities for land protection have been lost, and where land-protection priorities need to be refocused to ensure that Florida’s biological diversity is secured for future generations before remaining opportunities are lost.

The Cooperative Conservation Blueprint (Blueprint) is a multi-partner strategic conservation process developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and partners in 2006. The Blueprint is dedicated to the creation and use of voluntary and non-regulatory conservation incentives that can be applied to a comprehensive vision of wildlife habitat and connectivity priorities across Florida.

The regional pilot project was instituted in 2010 to focus application of incentives-based conservation landscape planning in south central and southwest Florida. The homogeneity of the landscape, high level of on-going conservation activities in the region and large tracts of open and working lands made this geographic area particularly useful for on the ground application of the Blueprint process.

The Green Links Regional CLIP Database was developed to assist conservation, listed species, green infrastructure, transportation, and land use planning within the Florida panhandle region. The database is a collection of both currently available statewide and regional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and custom regional analyses created in this project to enhance planning efforts. The overall project goal agreed to by the committee was to create a regional Green Infrastructure Plan that was a shared vision among multiple partners (FDOT, FWC, USFWS, NMFS, ACOE, FDoF, FNAI) to achieve the following objectives: 1) strategically protect and manage a network of conservation lands essential for sustaining the area's diverse ecological functions and values; 2) provide a framework for planning future land development activities, including transportation projects; and 3) identify opportunities for locating parks, trails, and other green space to benefit human use.

Resilient Sites for Terrestrial Conservation – in the Southeast Region

The goal of this project is to identify key areas for conservation based on land characteristics that increase diversity and resilience. The project identifies a climate-resilient conservation portfolio of sites representative of all geophysical settings selected for landscape diversity and local connectedness.

The Nature Conservancy and other partners have developed Ecoregional Assessments for each of Florida’s four ecoregions. Each ecoregional planning process leads to the design of an ecoregional portfolio, which includes conservation areas representing the full distribution and diversity of native species, natural communities, and ecosystems both within and across ecoregions. If managed appropriately, a portfolio will ensure the long-term survival of all native life and natural communities, not just threatened species and communities.

A Land Conservation Vision for the Gulf of Mexico Region: An Overview

Land Trust Alliance. 2014. A Land Conservation Vision for the Gulf of Mexico Region: An Overview. Washington, DC.

This report offers suggestions for reviving both the ecosystems and the economies of the Gulf Coast region. This report provides recommendations for land conservation within the region, whether through land purchases, voluntary conservation easements or other methods. The maps included within this report identify the areas within the Gulf Coast region that are of highest priority for protection and restoration of natural areas and resources, as determined by the consensus of the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation. These maps provide assistance to local, regional and national land conservation organizations, stakeholders, elected officials, private landowners and others as they grapple with decisions relating to the future of their communities and natural resources.

The objective of the proposed Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GoMI) is to assist agricultural producers in improving water quality, increasing water conservation, and enhancing wildlife habitat within watersheds draining into the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed initiative is designed to implement sustainable agricultural and wildlife habitat management systems that maintain agricultural productivity; avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; and reduce sediment transport in priority watersheds. Drawing from recent state natural resource assessments, NRCS identified

Gulf Coast watersheds where substantial opportunities exist to reduce nutrient and sediment loading through focused technical and financial assistance. Working in conjunction with State and Federal agencies, local partners, and producers, NRCS selected seven river basins containing sixteen of the watersheds with the greatest opportunity to build upon existing conservation efforts.

The purpose of this project is to develop regional natural resource data layers with an emphasis on the connection between coastal and marine systems that can be used to support conservation strategies, including ocean planning. Areas of focus include: seafloor habitat, migratory species and coastal systems. Data layers include: hardened shorelines, TNC secured lands, land use//land cover, impervious surface, intertidal habitats (NWI), water quality and quantity, coastal dependent species, and coastal vulnerability.

Vargas, J.C., Flaxman, and B. Fradkin. 2014. Landscape Conservation and Climate Change Scenarios for the State of Florida: A Decision Support System for Strategic Conservation. Summary for Decision Makers. GeoAdaptive LLC, Boston, MA and Geodesign Technologies Inc., San Francisco CA.

This project built upon existing initiatives and prior scenario simulations developed in 2012 by GeoAdaptive and Geodesign Technologies for the Peninsular Florida LCC, and extend the geographic boundary to encompass the whole state of Florida. The geographical extension of the project was necessary to comprehensively explore ecological issues such as habitat connectivity and the impacts of urbanization and population growth.

The goal of this project was to demonstrate what land use in the State might look like in 2060. The Florida 2060 population distribution scenario was developed using relatively straight forward geographic information systems (GIS) suitability analysis. The three key assumptions were: 1) Population projections derived from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) moderate population projections and interpolation (used for calculating population beyond BEBR year projection horizon); 2) 2005 gross urban density figures would remain the same through 2060; and 3) population would be allocated to the most suitable land for future urban development.

Predicting Ecological Changes In The Florida Everglades Under A Future Climate Scenario is the latest in a series of meetings over the past three years. These meetings examined the current and future potential impact of sea level rise and other hydrological changes on select regions and processes of the greater Florida Everglades, and on the potential outcomes of implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

The objective of this project was to develop modeling methods and products that will allow natural resource managers to examine potential effects of climate change on species’ geographic ranges in the context of ecosystem and landscape planning. Climate envelope modeling, a subset of species distribution modeling (SDM), is one type of modeling that can be useful in understanding species and habitat responses to climate change because they identify key links between drivers of change (e.g., climate) and relevant responses. Climate envelope models describe relationships between species’ occurrences and bioclimate variables derived from temperature and precipitation data to define a species’ climate niche (envelope). This project consists of four parts: (1) developing climate envelope models and associated prediction maps for 26 federally threatened and endangered terrestrial (T&E) vertebrate species occurring in peninsular Florida; (2) providing a technical guidebook for use and interpretation of climate envelope models; (3) developing visualization and social networking tools that allow natural resource managers and the general public to view our models, and (4) creating a searchable database of species traits for use in developing vulnerability assessments and other biological planning documents.

The guidebook is intended to provide a practical overview of climate envelope modeling for conservation professionals and natural resource managers. The material is intended for people with little background or experience in climate envelope modeling who want to better understand and interpret models developed by others and the results generated by such models, or want to do some modeling themselves. This is not an exhaustive review of climate envelope modeling, but rather a brief introduction to some key concepts in the discipline.

Rapid Assessment of Threats to Wildlife Corridors in Southwest Florida

The Rapid Assessment of Threats to Wildlife Corridors in Southwest Florida, a spatial analysis conducted in late 2010 and early 2011 by the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, compared a representation of potential priority areas for conservation in southwest Florida, including wildlife corridors, with representations of five potentially corridor-inhibiting factors. These factors were current land use, parcel fragmentation, future land use, developments of regional impact and sea level rise. Each factor was compared individually with the representation of potential priority areas for conservation, yielding five single threat analyses, which were then combined in two different ways to produce a pair of combined threat-synthesis. The individual analyses and especially the syntheses identify potential hazards to wildlife corridors in southwest Florida.

Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2014. Predicting and Mitigating the Effects of Sea Level Rise and Land Use Changes on Imperiled Species and Natural Communities in Florida. FWC Agreement 10289. Final Report submitted to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The goal of this project was to create a detailed assessment of the combined impacts of sea level rise and land-use changes on imperiled species and habitat throughout the state, which have been used to develop spatially explicit, science-based adaptive strategy recommendations to assist policy decisions. This project is a starting point for future assessments of the impacts of sea level rise and adaptation options, and will form an essential foundation for future research that builds on the results and methodology of this project.

The Florida Wildlife Legacy Initiative is a comprehensive strategy to conserve a broad array of wildlife and habitats within the boundaries of Florida. This project is an effort to direct Legacy work in freshwater systems based on GIS analysis. Analyses were conducted at the HUC 8 level and focused on three broad categories: potential urban development, threats to freshwater habitats, and species of greatest conservation need. Twelve HUC 8s were identified as priority areas of effort.

This study was a pilot of a new method, “spatial resilience planning” or SRP. This is an extension of more general spatial scenario, approaches, organized specifically for the case of climate change wildlife adaptation planning. The project evaluated 5 “alternative futures” developed by a prior MIT/USGS/FWS research project. The scenarios varied across four dimensions: climate change, human population change, land & water planning policies, and availability of public resources. Each alternative future took the form of a potential land use map, simulating climate and land cover change 50 years into the future at three time steps (2010, 2040 & 2060). Some scenarios reflected only minor differences from existing conditions while others simulated very substantial changes. A set of species was selected to test the approach. These included the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), Key Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata), Short-Tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus), and Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi).

Defenders of Wildlife assisted FWC with a pilot exercise using an existing vulnerability assessment tool, the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to identify factors contributing to vulnerability to climate change for a set of species occurring in Florida. Assessments were conducted for 21 species that reflected diverse ecological and management attributes of interest: five native birds, four native reptiles, three native amphibians, four native mammals, two native invertebrates and three non-native, invasive species. The CCVI generates an index score that corresponds to one of five categorical ranks.

The KeysMAP project piloted an approach to marine climate adaptation planning based on scenario simula­tion and several rounds of expert review. It considered three indicator species and associated coastal and marine habitats: Goliath Grouper, Spiny Lobster and Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Of these, Spiny Lobster is impor­tant both commercially and recreationally. The Goliath Grouper and Loggerhead are both protected species, albeit occupying different ecological niches. Habitats considered included Coral Reefs, Mangrove Forests, and Sandy Beaches. Spatial scenarios were simulated based on three models. Regionally-downscaled sea surface temperature model outputs provided by the NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center were mapped with special atten­tion to critical thresholds for species and habitats of concern. The consequences of Sea Level Rise (SLR) on coastal ecosystems and changes to habitats were simulated using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) model.

Potential Ecological Consequences of Climate Change in South Florida and the Everglades.

This report highlights current (2008) scientific literature on climate change trends and potential impacts to the ecosystems of south Florida and the Everglades. It represents one aspect of our continuing efforts to stay abreast of current scientific knowledge and projections of future changes to our environment. Understanding the implications of climate change and the range of uncertainties in projections for climate change and associated impacts such as sea level rise and ocean acidification is critical to forward-looking natural resource management.

Evaluation of Regional SLAMM Results to Establish a Consistent Framework of Data and Models

This project conducted a multi-part analysis that modeled SLR impacts on coastal marsh systems, described potentially vulnerable infrastructure and cultural resources, assessed potential impacts on vulnerable species, and characterized public attitudes and trade-offs surrounding simulated changes in ecosystem services. In addition, a group of natural resource, natural areas management, planning and water resource experts to developed locally relevant strategies that should be implemented to help natural and human communities adapt to the anticipated SLR impacts.

This study is part of a larger effort that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Habitat Conservation and Restoration Team is undertaking with the Florida and Texas chapters of TNC to understand the Gulf-wide vulnerability of coastal natural communities to SLR and thus to identify appropriate conservation and restoration strategies and actions. Changes in tidal marsh area and habitat type in response to sea-level rise were modeled using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM 6) that accounts for the dominant processes involved in wetland conversion and shoreline modifications during long-term sea level rise.

This study is part of a larger effort that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Habitat Conservation and Restoration Team is undertaking with the Florida and Texas chapters of TNC to understand the Gulf-wide vulnerability of coastal natural communities to SLR and thus to identify appropriate conservation and restoration strategies and actions. Changes in tidal marsh area and habitat type in response to sea-level rise were modeled using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM 6) that accounts for the dominant processes involved in wetland conversion and shoreline modifications during long-term sea level rise.

This study is part of a larger effort that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Habitat Conservation and Restoration Team is undertaking with the Florida and Texas chapters of TNC to understand the Gulf-wide vulnerability of coastal natural communities to SLR and thus to identify appropriate conservation and restoration strategies and actions. Changes in tidal marsh area and habitat type in response to sea-level rise were modeled using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM 6) that accounts for the dominant processes involved in wetland conversion and shoreline modifications during long-term sea level rise.

To encourage a new conservation paradigm of working towards managing species before they become imperiled, the U. S. Congress created the State Wildlife Grants Program. This program is dedicated to a holistic approach that includes all species, but is centered on conservation of species not encompassed by historical efforts. As a requirement of participating in the State Wildlife Grants Program, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has joined the other 55 states, territories, and district by committing to develop a State Wildlife Action Plan (Action Plan, originally known as Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy) for the state. Florida’s Action Plan is a strategic vision of the integrated conservation efforts needed to sustain the broad array of wildlife in the state. Florida’s Action Plan is a strategic vision of the integrated conservation efforts needed to sustain the broad array of wildlife in the state.

This document presents a set of model criteria and implementation guidelines that can be used for designation of Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas (PARCAs) in each state. The goal of a PARCA system is to identify valuable habitat for priority herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) throughout the U.S., using a system informed by scientific criteria and expert review. Model criteria draw on the scientific concepts of species rarity, richness, and landscape integrity as tools for shaping the boundaries of proposed PARCAs.

This Action Plan is the culmination of 5 years of collaborative effort amongst a broad spectrum of coral reef scientists, managers, and user groups with some of the best and most informed individuals in their respective fields. The plan recognizes the need for a holistic approach across the geographic range of Florida’s coral habitats given the inevitability of warmer, more acidic, oceans, and rising sea levels. It is grounded in the concept of “resilience”, or ability of the ecosystem to resist or bounce back from impacts. Collectively the actions are designed to enhance our coral reef systems ability to combat the stresses associated with climate change thereby giving them the best chance to adapt while continuing to provide their vital services to our society.

National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Partnership. 2012. National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Council on Environmental Quality, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, DC.

The purpose of the National Fish, wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is to inspire and enable natural resource administrators, elected officials, and other decision makers to take action to adapt to a changing climate. The Strategy is the first joint effort of three levels of government (federal, state, and tribal) that have primary authority and responsibility for the living resources of the United States to identify what must be done to help these resources become more resilient, adapt to, and survive a warming climate. The Strategy should also be useful for decision makers in sectors that affect natural resources (such as agriculture, energy, urban development, transportation, and water resource management), for conservation partners, for educators, and for the interested public, whose input and decisions will have major impacts on safeguarding the nation’s living resources in the face of climate change.

Defenders of Wildlife (“Defenders”) received a two-year State Wildlife Grant to support the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) incorporation of climate change into conservation and management planning. FWC’s goal is to develop a set of tools and resources for climate change adaptation planning that can be used across the agency’s management programs. Defenders worked with FWC to develop and pilot approaches to support adaptation decision processes as part of FWC’s climate change response strategy that can be rolled into agency planning efforts. Using a case study approach, Defenders engaged with agency staff involved in ongoing planning efforts to develop climate change response strategies for priority habitats and/or species and develop the processes for assessing and revising current practices and management actions. Based on the outcomes of these case studies, we developed recommendations for the agency to further the use of planning tools and approaches that can be used to modify current practices and management actions in order to continue to achieve conservation and management goals under a changing climate.

This workbook presents a guide to climate adaptation planning based on EPA’s experience with watershed management, the National Estuary Program and the Climate Ready Estuaries program. The Workbook will assist organizations that manage environmental resources to prepare a broad, risk-based adaptation plan. This Workbook helps meet the need for guidance on conducting climate change vulnerability assessments at a watershed scale, provides decision-support tools, helps people plan climate change adaptation strategies, and builds the capacity of local environmental managers.

Beyond Season’s End: A Path Forward for Fish and Wildlife in the Era of Climate Change.

This report identifies climate change related threats to game animals and their associated habitats. It provides an overview of the threats and impacts, as well as suggested projects to reduce those impacts. It also provides case studies that include tasks, timeline and costs for implementation.

Ecological models are needed to facilitate evaluation and assessment of alternative approaches to restore Greater Everglades ecosystems. However, the provision of useful and accessible models is a challenge because there is often a disconnect between model developers and model users. Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) was established to meet this challenge, with the goal of getting ecological models into the hands of users. JEM is a partnership among federal and state agencies, universities and other organizations which is currently funded by the USGS Priority Ecosystem Science program, the Everglades National Park, and the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

Simulates various sea level rise scenarios (form one to six feet above the average highest tides) and the corresponding areas that would be impacted by flooding. Additional information about marsh impacts, nuisance flood frequency and social and economic data is also provided.

Climate Explorer is a research application built to support the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. The tool offers interactive visualizations for exploring maps and data related to the toolkit's Taking Action case studies. Map layers in the tool represent geographic information available through climate.data.gov. Each layer's source and metadata can be accessed through its information icon. Climate Explorer graphs display 1981 – 2010 U.S. Climate Normals for temperature and precipitation, overlain with daily observations from the Global Historical Climatology Network-Daily (GHCN-D) database. Please note that GHCN-D data have been checked for obvious inaccuracies, but they have not been adjusted to account for the influences of historical changes in instrumentation and observing practices.

Development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) Tool for the Preliminary Assessment of the Effects of Predicted Sea Level and Tidal Change on Transportation Infrastructure. Sea Level Scenario – Sketch Planning Tool

Thomas, A., R. Watkins, C. Goodison, and R. Pierre-Jean. 2013. Development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) Tool for the Preliminary Assessment of the Effects of Predicted Sea Level and Tidal Change on Transportation Infrastructure. Geoplan Center, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Florida. Gainesville, FL.

Researchers from the University of Florida developed a sketch planning tool that can be used to conduct statewide and regional assessments of transportation facilities potentially vulnerable to climate trends. The project focused on the potential vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to the effects of possible future rates of sea level change (SLC) and increasing tidal datums. The Florida Sea Level Scenario Sketch Planning Tool includes (1) a map viewer, (2) the output modeled data layers (inundation surfaces and affected infrastructure), and (3) an ArcGIS calculator for creating custom inundation surfaces.

The Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process is Florida's procedure for reviewing qualifying transportation projects to consider potential environmental effects in the Planning phase. This process provides stakeholders the opportunity for early input, involvement, and coordination. It provides for the early identification of potential project effects and informs the development of scopes for projects advancing to the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) phase. EST was developed by using a methodology of rapid software prototyping, frequent user feedback and flexible architecture designed to adapt to the ETDM evolution process. This resulted in an internet-accessible interactive database and mapping application which integrates: a geo-relational database of ETDM projects, over 550 environmental resource GIS data layers, an automated and standardized GIS-based environmental screening analysis application, and numerous tools for data entry, review, and reporting.